Sick
by cooey95
Summary: Third instalment in my mini series. Can be read as a stand alone piece. My first Hotch and Emily fic. Emily is sick and has to confront her feelings after Hotch leaves a letter for her.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds. I don't make any money of off this fan fiction. All rights belong to CBS studios. **

Emily Prentiss was sick. Considering she never got sick, this was torture. She spent the last two days walking around her apartment in her pyjamas, looking for some way to end the horrible feeling she was having. She had some form of the flu and it had crippled her for the past couple of days. She had to take time off of work, something she hated doing and to make matters worse, her boss was coming over to check on her when he finished work. She had been avoiding Aaron Hotchner since their mandatory team bonding weekend almost a month ago. Aside from work and case related discussions she had been avoiding him. It was at no fault if his own that she was avoiding him. It was her own self-consciousness that was the cause, that and come thing that Jack had said. They had been in the car on the way home from the park and the little boy had innocently asked his dad if Emily would stay the night. Emily replayed the conversation in her head for the hundredth time while she walked into the kitchen and made herself some hot chocolate.

_After hearing what Jack had asked she turned to look in the back seat and saw the boy sleeping. _

_"He's asleep, what do you think would make him as that?" _

_" he's a smart boy, he probably picked up on the changed way we acted around each other today and made some typical eight year old conclusion." Hotch had said glancing at her, wondering why he heard apprehension in her voice. _

_"So this is something he asks about all the women you know but don't work with?" _

_"The only other women I talk to but don't work with is his Aunt, so no, He doesn't. What's wrong?" _

_"Oh, it's nothing, it's just, me I guess." _

_"Care to elaborate on that?" _

_"Well, in the last twenty four hours I've gone from being super happy and insanely jealous for and of my best friends, I've kissed my boss, I've found out that he's had feelings for me for almost as long as I've had feelings for him, and now his son is asking if I'm staying over, it's just, I'm not exactly twenty five anymore, I'm not nearly as perfect as I would like to be. This job, it leaves everyone with scars, and after Doyle, I have so many, both emotional and physical. The way you see me, well, you'll be disappointed if anything were to happen between us." She had said, picking her finger nails and watching the world flick past her window._

_"Wait, are you saying that what you said in this very car this morning, not even twelve hours ago, you didn't mean it? Today is the most relaxed I've seen you since you re joined the team. You had a good time with everyone, we walked around for half an hour, just you and I, talking. Was it something I said, was it something I did? I don't see what could have changed your mind Emily. As for you having scars, we all do, you remember when Foyett broke into my house, you were the one to come to my apartment and realise I was missing. I have scars too Emily. I'm not perfect, so how could I possibly be disappointed with you?" _

_They pulled into JJ's driveway with silence in the car. As she was opening the door to get out, Emily looked back at Aaron and sighed. She leaned across the centre console and placed a brief kiss on his lips before pulling away again. _

_"The whole time we were at the park, when we went for a walk, even now when I've told you I'm not sure about the possibility of 'us' you've looked at me as if I'm perfect, I'm not Hotch, and you need to realise that." She shut the door and walked into JJ's house, knowing that with jack asleep in the car, he wouldn't follow. _

Emily was jolted from her thoughts by the sound of her microwave beeping, telling her the milk was warm and she could add her hot chocolate mix. She stirred it into her mug looking at the wall across from her, not focusing on anything in particular. She let her mind drift as she drank her hot beverage absent minded. She stood in her kitchen for what seemed like only a short amount of time but was distracted by Surgio winding around her legs meowing for his dinner. She glanced at the clock on the wall and swore quietly. Hotch would be here in about ten minutes. She tipped some food into Surgio's bowl and glanced at what she was wearing. Sweat pants and a old FBI training shirt that had holes in it. Her version of sick day pyjamas. Not what you want your boss to see you in. Especially when you and your boss have mutual feelings for each other. She looked at the cat at her feet, who was still eating his dinner.

"Surge, when Hotch gets here, we're not talking to him okay? He's only here for five or ten minutes and then he's leaving okay?" She asked him. When all she got was a flick of the tail in response she sighed and stomped off to her room to get changed. She picked out a casual pair of jeans and a less holy shirt to wear for the duration of Hotch's visit. She was just attempting to pull a brush through her hair when she hear a knock at her door and a chime on her phone. She picked up her phone on her way to the door and opened the text from JJ.

Please, talk to him, about everything. Stop avoiding the topic. It'll do you the world of good xx. J

She sighed and shot off a reply to JJ before tossing her phone onto the table in the entry way. She looked through the peephole in her door and saw Hotch standing on the other side. She unlocked the door and stepped back to let him into the entry.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He said stepping in and un buttoning his coat.

"Well, I'm not dead and I haven't lost my lunch today, so I should be able to return to my pile of paperwork tomorrow. Just don't expect me to chase down any Unsubs as soon as I get back." She joked leading him into the kitchen. "would you like a coffee?"

"Ahh no thank you, I wouldn't want to impose." He said looking around as he entered the room. He smiled when he saw Surgio, who had just finished his dinner. He bent down and scooped up the cat, flipping it onto it's back in the comfort of his arm.

"Oh, Surge isn't a pick me up cat, be careful." Emily warned. She stopped worrying rather quickly when she heard the cat purring, something he only really did when he was curled under a blanket or in front of the fire place.

"I think he's okay." Hotch said smiling at her and scratching the cats stomach.

"If he flips out and scratches you I warned you." She replied leaning against the counter top.

"I'll take the chance, he's just a cat, what could he possibly do?"

"Just a cat my ass. Anyway, how is everyone? Have I missed much?"

"Everyone is good. Strauss got word from the director, JJ and Reid can both work on the team, they just can't be paired together on anything dangerous on cases. It's for the benefit of the whole team. They'll be on a trial period of that for a few months and then we can start paring them together a bit more untill were one hundred percent sure they won't compromise the safety of the team. You haven't missed much, Reid has actually done some of your paperwork and consults for you because he finished his early again."

"I'll have to buy that man a drink. He's always helping me more than he should." She said with a smile.

"The team are actually talking about going out this weekend if you're up for it. You have a couple days to decide obviously." He replied reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a hand made envelope. "This is from Jack, I told him I was coming over here tonight because you were sick. He told me to give you this and to tell you that pyjamas makes being sick a little more manageable." He said handing her the envelope.

"Tell him thanks, I was actually in my pyjamas before you came over. I figured it wasn't something you needed to see." She turned to put the card on the counter and when she turned back Hotch was just next to her, leaning on part of her counter next to where she had been. Surgio was looking up at him from the floor with the closest look to a scowl that a cat can get to on his feline face.

"Emily, a month ago we had a team sleepover, I've knocked on your hotel room door plenty of times to check on you and JJ on cases, or to run something past you. I've seen you in your pyjamas plenty of times. You're so weird sometimes."

"Ahh, they are my appropriate for visual use pyjamas not my 'I'm comfortable at home alone' pyjamas. There's a difference." She grinned at him and he smiled back.

" I should get going. I've been here long enough, much longer would be an imposition. I'll give your message to Jack and see you at work tomorrow." He pushed himself away from the counter almost as suddenly as he had appeared there. He walked towards the front door and paused, waiting for her to catch up. When she did he brushed a strand of hair away from her face where it had fallen.

"Go put your comfortable not for visual use pyjamas back on. It'll help you feel better. Good bye." He put his hand on the door handle and turned it before he felt pressure on his other hand. He looked and saw that Prentiss had grabbed it. She turned bright red and let go quickly.

"Thank you, for coming to check on me, and for Jacks card. I'll see you tomorrow." She smiled at him through the hair that had fallen back into her face.

"You're welcome. I'll see you then." He turned the handle on the door and left her apartment. Emily walked forward and leaned against the door, sighing. She stood there for a minute and then pushed away from the door and walked back into the kitchen. She picked up the envelope from the counter, she turned it over and over in her hand. She opened it and smiled at the hand drawn card from Jack. The front showed a drawing of a woman, a man, a cat and a boy. They were playing in the park, Prentiss could tell by the picture of the swing in the back ground and the trees near by. It was a child's representation of the park they had played at when they went to JJ's. She opened the card and saw that Jack had written the message himself.

_'Miss Emily, I know you are feeling sick I want you to get better so you can come play again. Tell surge to look after you. From Jack_' the card read. Emily couldn't help but smile at the simple innocence of it. She turned away and went to her room to get changed again, as per her instructions. She left the card on her night stand and thought no more of it until the next morning.

Emily was running late. She was not impressed, after being sick for the past couple of days she was late. She had tried to start her car so she could drive to work, but it was having some kind of trouble. It simply wouldn't kick over. She ran her hand through her hair and sighed in frustration. She would have to take the train. Which in and of itself wasn't so bad. It simply took more time. She ran back inside and placed her car keys on her kitchen counter, swapping it over for her singular house key and metro card. As she was getting ready to leave she saw a simple piece of white paper folded Into an envelope the same way Jack had made his envelope. She looked at it and saw her name written in Hotch's handwriting. She grabbed it off the bench and stuck it in her bag, before rushing out the door, if she missed the next train she would be so much later than she already was.

Emily didn't pay any more attention to the envelope until she was on the train, she was sitting against the window in the far back, so she could keep an eye on everyone, a habit she had developed through years of working in defence. She rummaged through her bag and saw the envelope and pulled it out. She unfolded it and saw that Aaron had written her a letter, she settled into her seat and began to read.

'_Emily, I understand why you would think that I look at you as if you are perfect, because I do. I understand that you don't want to consider the possibility of 'us' until I realise that you're not perfect, so, here it goes. When you're nervous you pick your finger nails, this is something I noticed before Reid pointed it out. You doubt yourself and your abilities in this team when were out in the field, I wish you wouldn't, sometimes you make the wrong calls. Sometimes so do i. You've come into the office with toothpaste on your fave before, and haven't noticed it until Garcia has pointed it out. You tend to swear to much. These are something's that make you imperfect. However, now that I've gotten your part out of the way, you have to hear me out. You managed to make the whole team see Spencer as an equal, not as someone who needs protecting. You've helped Penelope through some of her darker times and you keep her unique and bubbly. You know that David and I talk extensively, he has told me that you help keep him young in ways that the rest of us can't, he views you as a daughter, and loves you just as much as he would his own child. As for JJ you have helped her immensely, even when you were in Paris, and could only communicate over online scrabble, she was happier every time she spoke to you. You're the only person I know who can keep Morgan humble, and with him working with Garcia, he needs someone to do that for him. As for me, you can ask anyone on this team, you've helped me become happier, I'm so much less of a grump since you've joined the team, Jacks words not mine. You may not be a perfect individual, but you are the prefect addition to my team. You don't have to be perfect for me to know that you'll be perfect for me. I know that writing a letter is the cowards way out, but I can only hope you'll accept this simple sign of my affection. You're perfect to me Emily Prentiss. _

_Aaron. _

Emily read the letter twice over before she reached her stop. When she did she exited the train as fast as possible. She made it to work as quickly as she could, she made her way through the security and up the the floor of the BAU. She raved through the bullpen ignoring everyone who spoke to her. She was on a mission. She entered Hotch's office and shut the door. She had to stand and wait for him to finish his phone call, before she could speak. He gave her a questioning look as he spoke. The call ended a few minutes after Emily had entered the office. She didn't give him a chance to speak.

"What is this?" She asked waiving the letter in his face.

"It's difficult to tell as it's moving around rather rapidly, but I would assume it's the letter I left for you on your bench last night." He replied standing up and moving around to lean against the front of his desk.

"Not what I meant Hotchner and you know it. Is this serious, did you mean what you said?" She demanded.

"Emily, I meant every word, nothing I put in there would I ever take back. You're not perfect, I'm not perfect, but I can only hope that you'll give us a chance to reach perfection together because I think it's the only way either of us ever will."

There was silence between the two profilers for almost a minute before Emily sighed. She crossed the space between them and kissed Hotch. It was everything their first kiss should have been. Private, sweet, perfect.

**A/N: Hello again my wonderful readers! As promised this is the Hotch/Emily story following from Pyjama Rama. Im not entirely happy with it, especially Hotch, he wouldnt write a letter to declare his feelings! Ugh, i just don't think Emily would let him say all of that face to face without talking over him. Any way, leave a review and let me know what you think, yeah?**

**Cooey out! **


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